It's The Top 10 Guys Turn - 3/6/13

Hello. Tonight's episode of the guys had at least one heart-breaking note to it. I will get into that shortly. Again the performances are taking place at The Mirage in Las Vegas. However the actual results show will be telecast from Hollywood. Ryan Seacrest welcomes the judges as well as the male contestants. We hear some chit-chat from Randy Jackson and Keith Urban. Once again we are reminded of the new voting system they have in place. Now for the performances:

Elijah Lui has the look and almost the voice to become a marketable artist. I thought he sounded better this week as he sings "Stay" originally by Rhianna. It did seem heartfelt. Keith likes his control as he sings. Nicki Minaj says she would be willing to stay and liked it. Randy thinks it was kind of so-so although he recognizes that Elijah is more current than some of the other contestants. Mariah called this one of his better performances and I agree. My grade: B

I liked the fact that Cortez Shaw did an upbeat number and even his small bit of dancing was entertaining. However his singing of the Bruno Mars song "Locked Out of Heaven" was just okay. He did have a few sharp notes here and there. Keith Urban was not feeling it either even though he admires Cortez's spirit. Nicki's focus was mainly on his outfit and the fact he needed to dress more sexy (Jeesh, is Nicki a sex fiend or what I ask). Randy mentions the strain on the high notes and Mariah agrees. My grade: B-

My heart absolutely broke for 17 year old Charlie Askew. He attempted the wrong song by Genesis which was "Mama". Giving it an over-the-top theatrical vibe it came off really rough. This was such a shame as Charlie is one of my faves and truly has a unique voice. The judges were really hard on him and once Ryan Seacrest came back on stage the judges were cruel and laughed at this young man. Sure the song was of a darker nature but I think the judges could have been nicer with their critiques as they know this young guy has a sensitive nature. The fact that they made him cry pissed me off to no end. I do applaud Ryan for trying to be supportive but even with that when Charlie said he was not the smiling guy they think and only smiled because he had to was so sad. I think this kid has been bullied his whole life. As for the actual performance it was not very good. My grade: C-

I like Nick Boddington who opts to perform "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. He also played the piano. Though not a stellar performance I did enjoy it. Keith thought it was a good choice of song and called it beautiful. Nicki thought it sounded pretty. Randy calls it a solid performance while Mariah feels the beginning was rough but kicked in by the end of the number. My grade: B+

I honestly do not know why the judges like Burnell Taylor so much. He is singing his audition song which was "I'm Here" from the show The Color Purple. To my ears it sounded dreary. Not to Keith though as he gives Burnell a standing ovation and mentions how he loved it. Nicki loved it too. Randy says Burnell seems to grab everyone's attention. Mariah called it a tearful moment. Sorry but I just don't get it at all. My grade: D

:lol!:Paul Jolley attempts to sing "Just A Fool" which actually was a duet with Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera. I loved his voice in the beginning but as he tried for the higher notes it sort of fell flat. Keith feels he needs to ease in more with the high notes. Nicki called it a solid performance. Randy feels as I do. Mariah likes Paul's strong instrument as she calls it and felt the crowd liked it. My grade: B

Lazaro Arbos does a real nice job with the song "Feeling Good". Maybe the vocal was not right on point but his attitude as he sang connected with everyone. I liked this alot. Keith called it a great job, Nicki applauded the strong vocal and loved it. Randy falls back on his old line again by saying Lazaro is in it to win it. Mariah says Lazaro impressed her but watch his lower register. My grade: B+

I am getting mighty fed up with everyone thinking that Curtis Finch Jr. is a nice religious guy. I remember how mean he was to Charlie Askew during Hollywood week. However his vocal was not bad of R Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly". I did not care for the arrangement that much and did feel Curtis over did it a bit. His high notes were quite good though. The judges felt like they had gone to church to be uplifted and give Curtis a standing ovation. Keith says Curtis oozes everything good when he sings. Yea, right. Nicki feels he raises the bar everytime. Randy loved it and calls it great while Mariah thanks Curtis for his performance. My grade: B

Devin Velez opts to sing a really old song made popular by Perry Como and others called "It's Impossible". Again he sings partly in English and Spanish. I actually liked it but think this might have been a turn-off for the younger crowd. Keith thought the beginning was shakey but does call Devin gifted. Nicki who is so phony tries to talk Spanish but gives up finally and says she liked it. Randy likes the tone of his voice. Mariah feels his performance was incredible. I would not go that far but overall I thought it was good. My grade: B+

Vincent Powell has a nice easy tone that I could listen to alot but on his rendition of "End of The Road" by Boys II Men he goes overboard trying to bring too much into the number. Keith feels he let his nerves get to him. Nicki for once makes sense and says he over-compensated on the song. Randy also feels he overshot it and this was not his best. Mariah tries to be nice and says there were moments of brillance when he sang. My grade: B-

On the Thursday show we will find out who our top 10 will be. This of course will consist of 5 girls and 5 guys. I am having a hard time predicting which of the five guys will make it but think Lazaro Arbos definitely has a shot. I am hoping Nick Boddington makes it. I also would like to see Charlie Askew take a spot because I find him unique in so many ways but his performance tonight might have killed his chances. Shame on the judges for their actions with him.